Startup labels seem to be all the rage these days. Thanks to the success of independent outlets such as Soulection and Pilerats, to name a few, off-the-radar artists have hit the internet jackpot. Today’s startup spotlight goes to Rooftops Horizon, a label based out of Paris, the city of love and great music. This compilation features tracks from some of our current favorite producers such as Rusty Hook, salute, and Renz, alongside some new names, JL and Romby. Snatch this free download for some blissful listening this Monday evening. (I’ve had “Gold Rush” on repeat for an hour now)

YoAstrum is no new-comer to Fresh New Tracks. Previous singles, “A Day’s Worth” and “Heav3n”, were a big hit with you all, making it only right to share the full length project, Alchemy In Heav3n. YoAstrum packs 13 tracks full of his signature beat selection and self-aware lyrics.

Personal favorites from the tape include the aforementioned, “Heav3n”, as well as the Lakim produced, “Jet Grind Radio”. Alchemy In Heav3n is viable and accepted across multiple genres and enumerable listeners. The forward-thinking production coupled with the melodic rap make the project a must listen.

The methods of which Soulection uses to discover its vast spectrum of artists is as impressive and mysterious to me as the natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights, yet they’ve got it down to a science and are doing the world a great justice by sharing their findings gratuitously and by the plenty. Soulection features countless artists from each and every genre, but their White Label selections are something extra special, showcasing newcomers who are really bringing something to the table. I found this past week’s pick, Tom Misch, to be probably one of my favorites out of the series so far. This *free* White Label release features three tracks, all of which are incredibly executed and in my opinion, really represent the characteristic sound of Soulection (which as you can hear almost always has its roots in Dilla).

By the way, did you know Tom Misch is only 18 years old? Slayin’ em, Soulection, just slayin’ em.

On Saturday March 15th at precisely 2:50pm in sunny Austin, Texas the young and mysterious rapper by the name of GoldLink stepped upon the stage at Barcelona. A showcase aptly titled the “Sound of Tomorrow” had a bill filled with the futuristic sounding producers on Soulection’s roster. GoldLink was neither a part of Soulection’s imprint, nor was he a producer…so as I and the numerous other audience members asked ourselves what he was doing up on stage, he slowly began to gather himself and show us why.

GoldLink’s music is best described by Chuck Allen of Way Less Effort: “Of all the new sounds that have popped up in the industry, from the soul-sucking gothic southern grime that the UK and South Florida have been dropping, to the glo’d up trap of the Chi, this new “future bounce” sound really stands out. It doesn’t throw it all the way back to boom-bap like the “New New York” ish that Pro Era has been pushing, and it isn’t on that entirely digital production tip either. It mixes the buttery grooves of 90?s R&B with classic hip-hop breaks to give it an essence of nostalgia, and then turns on its head with bouncy, forward-thinking production from the likes of Kaytranada and Ta-ku. Add that to Goldlink’s roller coaster flow that fills every pocket of the dynamic instrumentals he tackles, and suddenly your head and shoulders are bobbing and you don’t know what happened.” *1

This future-bounce movement was prevalent all the way through his performance as he went worked through his short SoundCloud catalog, spitting out his semi-viral hits such at “Creep”, “Playah”, and at-the-time-unreleased song “Planet Paradise”. I was entranced by his energetic stage presence and ability to work a crowd whom was not at all expecting to be seeing a rapper on stage.

GoldLink has remained unseen by the internet world, but with his forthcoming mixtape, The God Complex set to drop in a matter of days, I can’t imagine his face avoiding the limelight for much longer. Enjoy, GoldLink’s newest release “Planet Paradise” produced by Louie Lastic, and be sure to prepare yourself for SXSW next year, since it’s never too early to start planning!

The state of Michigan makes a strong habit of producing some of the most influential musicians on the planet. Whatever it is that Michigoneans are doing to inspire artists to experiment with new, weird sounds and ideas, it’s definitely working and Waldo and Sango drink from that same pool. The Grand Rapids duo habitually create new inspiring music under the Soulcolection label . Yesterday, to help promote their L.A. + S.F. shows, Waldo dropped a revised version of “Kobe’s Song”, check that and the original version out below.

Want in on a little secret that I hardly ever get around to sharing? Easiest way to find some new slappers is to go through a music mix, my favorite being Soulection Radio’s Show they do pretty often featuring new Artist’s and new songs on the regular. I haven’t taken the chance to listen to the whole thing yet but I’ve gotten pretty deep in and this definitely is a great one to start off with. So go on and take a listen, I PROMISE you’ll find something you will like.

Don’t know the name of the song playing? They have the whole playlist in the info section of the song on SoundCloud.

The French protégé Stwo (pronounced “Stew”) kills yet another track, this time remixing Basecamp’s latest hit song “Emmanuel.” With his New Wave influence, Stwo provides a unique aesthetic that should make you want to do no less than start and end your day with this record. Grab a FREE download, turn it up, and enjoy.